The city of Aurora did an excellent job pulling off their first ever Harry Potter Festival!…read more Tickets: This was a ticketed event ($3 cash per ticket - max 5 per person) and required in-person purchase several months prior to the actual event. Even though I arrived a few hours after the ticket purchase start time, I only stood in line for about an hour to get mine. A lot of people had complaints, but it honestly wasn't bad, especially given all of the publicity! The festival itself: They planned it out very well and had multiple events and activities, most kid-focused and friendly, but good for older fans too. Activities included a quidditch workshop, spell book creation, Ollivander's wands (x2), a potions lab, mocktail creations, Herbology, how to plant a Whomping Willow, Care of Magical Creatures, a self-guided Horcrux Hunt, Quiddich playing a, costume parade, a ride on the Hogwarts Express. Finally, there were multiple vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade! Many of the activities required online preregistration, though many crafting events were free and just required you to stand in the queue. It was spaced out enough that the crowds were manageable and the lines weren't too long. Goods vendors in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade included bath bombs (including a House Reveal version - cool!), jewelry, bags, paintings, plants, wall decor, and much more! Everything was really cute and went along with the Harry Potter/Hogwarts theme. There were a few food and butter beer vendors, including 4-packs of bottled butter beer. A lot of the local businesses also got into the spirit of the festival and decorated their storefronts. I spied Wayne and Garth (20th anniversary of Wayne's World!) sporting Hogwars hats - cute! The local Paramount theatre offered four Harry Potter movie showings for $1 apiece, had Harry Potter-themed drinks and candy, and had an awesome 9 3/4 platform in their lobby! Security (and Aurora PD) was posted throughout the event and were friendly and helpful. Port-o-Johns were plentiful and stocked with hand sanitizer. By 2pm, garbage cans were overflowing.. so that's something they can keep an eye on next time. Great job on a really well thought out and organized event, Aurora!

Aurora's inaugural 2017 Harry Potter festival was a hit…read more There was plenty to do and see, and the overall vibe from all of the attendees was overwhelmingly positive, especially considering nothing like this has been held in Aurora before. The Quidditch pitch hosted tons of kids playing Quidditch which was tons of fun to watch. Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade showcased tons of local, themed vendors that had lots of cool trinkets and souvenirs to buy. There were tons of fun classes to sign up for and take part in, like Herbology, Potions, and Magical Mocktails. It was also great to see a lot of the local businesses, closed or not, decorate their windows or host themed events related to the event, which definitely added to the overall spirit of the day. Best of all, eagle-eyed visitors spotted a number of subtle decorations that showed that there were true Harry Potter fans behind this event, including a "2nd Triwizard Task Vieweing Area" (overlooking the Fox River), Tom Riddle's grave, and all 7 horcruxes to hunt and find, each with a clever clue that led to the next. I can't wait until next year's event. I'm sure it's going to be even better!

This was our first time attending the Dupage Native Plant Sale. It is now held at the Dupage Event…read moreCenter and Fairgrounds. Parking and admission were free. This is a 2 day event selling over 150 different types of native flowers,grasses,shrubs and trees. There were many volunteers around to ask questions and get recommendations. Plants are not restocked daily so best is to go early on the first day. It gets crowded and with so many people pulling wagons and carts,patience is required! They do have a few trays to use but best is to bring your own boxes. Cash,check or credit cards are accepted but I wish the checkout area was in a different location than where the plants were being sold as the lines for checkout were very long. Proceeds benefit the Dupage Forest Preserve.

Amazing! Loved checking out all the 4-H projects! Special shout out to @ikonicglass for an amazing…read moreglass blowing experience!

North Aurora Days was a LOT smaller than I expected! It's held in the parking lot of a single strip…read moremall off of Randall and Oak Streets (where the Super Wash is). FOOD: There was a beer tent and 6 food vendors: 1 BBQ, 1 Tacos, 1 fried foods, 1 corn, 1 Italian Ice, and an Oberweis Dairy ice cream truck. I found food prices to be REALLY steep: I paid $15 for a 6" corn dog and dry cheese curds that had been sitting under a warmer. ENTERTAINMENT: In the evening there were only carnival games (4), a tall slide, and a bouncy castle, and a stage with live music. During the day there are specific events (garage sale, book sale, 5k). People set up lawn chairs, so note you can bring those. Most went "parade style" and set them up en masse to claim spots, and then left elsewhere. Overall? Meh. Very underwhelming, at least in terms of attending Saturday evening. I suppose it's halfway decent if you live in the neighborhood and just want to chill and listen to music with your family and neighbors.

Boy! Has North Aurora Days come around. If you would like to walk back in time and relish the…read moreexperience of a good ole' fashion small town picnic. Then you oughta try North Aurora Days at their Riverfront Park next time it happens. There's music, refreshments, rustic and picturesque scenery - and a very special atmosphere of family fun and wholesome good times.

A free drive thru Holiday Light Festival held in Phillips Park in Aurora…read more This free event runs from late November thru late December daily from 5-9pm. You will have to check the website for exact dates. They advise you to pre register which is not required since no one checks you in . I wish the local authorities would have been assisting with the fllow of traffic entering and leaving the park . Especially for people not familiar with the area. It a fun family event during the holiday season.

Nice, free. park district drive through lights display for a cold winter night. Good for families…read moreand the young at heart. Traffic moved pretty well but signs to find the correct entrance are not as helpful as having someone live directing. Many people showed up to the wrong entrance and had to reroute..

July 2014 marked the 43rd year for the Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Festival. I love going to fests…read moreof all kinds in different towns and I must admit...this was one of the best I've been to. The Puerto Rican Heritage Fest is in downtown Aurora at the River Edge Park. They couldn't have picked a better location. For one, the park is fairly new and absolutely beautiful. Two, parking was extremely easy--only $1.50 in the metra parking lot and it is right across the street from the fest. And three, they have a huge stage with seating for live bands. The festivities last two days, Saturday and Sunday, and kick off with the Puerto Rican Parade at noon. The parade itself is located in the streets of downtown near City Hall. After that, everyone walks/drives over to River Edge. It's only $5 to get in! Not bad. As soon as you're past security, it's like you're actually in Puerto Rico. The smell of delicious fried foods, red white and blue flags every where, and loud music that makes you want to stop and dance with someone. I was in heaven! First thing to do at any fest is head to liquor booths. There were pina colada and daquiri booths every where, so I picked the first one I came to. "These have rum in them right?" "No, you have to go get drink tickets at a different stand and they only sell mikes hard and beer." WHAT!? How are you gonna have all these drink stands and no booze? Not too big of a deal, but that's definitely a recommendation I would make for next year. So I grabbed a Mikes hard. It was $4 but that's typical at any fest. Next I went to all the booths where they sold puerto rican jewelry, flags, clothes, art work, anything you could imagine. It was much like Guavate, Puerto Rico. Shops everywhere but many of them selling the same stuff. I got a great flag, only $3 bucks, and a festival t-shirt, only $15 bucks. The prices were very reasonable. Keep in mind...many of the vendors only spoke Spanish. Now for the food...by far the best part of the fest! Anything I could possibly get my hands on and eat...I did. There were multiple food vendors. Again, many of them selling the same type of foods, but some times the way they make it varies (such as the beans different vendors use. And yes, the type of bean you use when making Puerto Rican food matters!!) All together, I spent only $26 bucks on food and you would not believe me if I showed you just how much food $26 bucks got me! I got two empanadillas (fried meat pies), a huge portion of lechon (pulled pork), a fried plantain, one giant rellenos de papa (fried potato ball with ground beef inside), habichuelas guisadas (pink beans with wonderful seasoned sauce), and arroz con gandules (yellow rice and gandules)! We also ordered the bacalaitos (cod fritters), alcapurria (corn fritter stuffed with ground beef), and a pastele. The pastele, however, was the only thing that was not good! It was complete mush. Everything else was AMAZING!! They also sold pinchos, sorrulitos de maiz (sweet corn fritters), mozzarepa (corn pancake stuffed with mozzarella), and funnel cakes...so many different kinds of funnel cakes like red velvet! Mmmm.... This fest is seriously a great time. The people are so beautiful and friendly (seriously every person working the fest was just so happy to be there, really friendly and helpful). The music was fun, the puerto rican souvenirs were well priced, and the food was cheap and DELICIOUS!! I can't wait for next years fest!

Elburn Days is not just a fest, it's an entire community stopping to celebrate and take some time…read morefrom the every day norm to let loose. You can take the train, drive straight in on 38, or shoot down 47. There's plenty of parking all around the city, and even if you walk around town, which there are some quaint shops and bars to eat... AND DON'T FORGET REAMS!, you aren;t far from the fest. Highly recommend a visit, you won' be disappointed.

We went on July 4 hoping to see fireworks and hear Melissa Etheridge and the Stray Cats. It was a…read moreno to the first and partials for the 2nd two. We got an online discount so buying online isn't always a ripoff. I wasn't crazy about the lack of info for the shuttle service. We took the Metra in and read that shuttles came there, but we go off the train and foolishly crossed over, looking for a bus or a sign. After 10 min we got an Uber, THEN realized where the shuttles were; next time they should post signs on where to look for the shuttle. It was great when we arrived, you gotta go to Just North of Memphis for ribs and PEACH BREAD PUDDING. The mac n cheese was ok, so-so, but I never heard of peach bread pudding, it was to LIVE for! They cleared the park around 6 when no lightning was present, and we stood in the HOT gym across the street. Luckily Melissa had barely started, and we were able to stand outside as nothing major happened yet. We went back in, ate more and missed most of Melissa, then around 8 or so it really was lightning and about to rain, and we just managed to hear the Stray Cats do their #1 song 'Stray Cat Strut'. By 9 the whole thing was cancelled, and we sought out the shuttle buses as the rain started. I may go again next year in a car.

I came here for the first time on July 6th and had such a fun time! The weather was actually not…read morescorching hot for once, so I was able to fully enjoy what Ribfest had to offer without melting away in the heat. Parking: While there are many paid parking options, there is free parking out there if you don't mind a walk! Considering the fact that I was there for the food, I didn't mind walking it off. Saves me the cash! Tickets: Don't buy tickets online. I knew people who bought online and paid way too much. Because this Ribfest had quite a few event cancellations due to weather, they slashed ticket prices HARD. My boyfriend and I paid $10 for the two of us. Much better than paying $30+ per person! Buy tickets at the door for sure. Food: Omg the ribs were amazing. I highly recommend Texas Outlaw, which was hands-down the best rib offering around. They also made an awesome mac and cheese! I also tried ribs from Johnson's and Memphis but they were nowhere near as good. My only complaint about the ribs is that you are blindly purchasing them. I wish they would put together a little guide about the different restaurants there to help people decide which ribs to try. Since it's pretty easy to get overwhelmed with food and spending here, I recommend ordering the smallest amount of ribs from a booth and splitting that with a buddy. You'll cover more ground this way and will be able to try out more of the rib options without feeling like death. There's plenty of additional food out there aside from ribs. Dippin' dots were a refreshing sweet treat! Bands: I didn't really care about any of the entertainment--I was just there for the ribs. With that being said, the band offered nice background music. No complaints here. Seating: While eating, it's nice to get a seat. They offer lots of communal seating under a tent right next to where the band plays. Getting a seat was not an issue for me at any point. However, people do bring lawn chairs to just plop down anywhere. I think that's a good idea for sure. Sponsors: There are several alleys of sponsors set up at booths. Northwestern had a life-sized Operation game which was a ton of fun, and Arthur Murray dance studio gave out postcards for a free dance lesson. There were quite a few other fun freebies--including the BRILLIANT person who was giving away water, which saved me some cash instead of having me buy it at the food tents--but beware of all the weird home improvement tents. Those people were super pushy and epitomize a hard sell. FYI--Interestingly, I also randomly saw Gov Bruce Rauner here. He told me to enjoy the ribs, which I did, lol. Entertainment: There are lots of carnival rides for which you can purchase tickets, but I think they are a waste of money. There is an entire section of family-friendly and FREE activities to do. This includes a petting zoo, magic show, and plenty more fun giveaways. All in all, I had a wonderful time and am so glad that I went! I'm looking forward to doing it again sometime. This is a perfect summer event and the best summer festival in the 'burbs.

The Best! Always a…read moreGREAT Time! and Guitarra Azul.... WOW!!! Awesome Band! Romeoville is Fantastic!

I had not been to Romeofest in years. I had a great time. It was well run. The only complaint was…read morethe exorbitant cost of the food. Michael's Pizza was really the only reasonable food option and it was good.

Always fun to walk around Geneva especially during this annual festival. This year the weather…read moreeven cooperated. Shops are open and it's a good way to get a jump start holiday shopping.

As always I love Geneva. I think this is very nice and well organized fest. I appreciate the…read morepolice taking time to cross the visitors from the busy traffic. I love the fact their is something for everyone here. Wine, ice-cream, pizza, tacos, frozen bananas, Chinese food, vendors and music concerts. Geneva is the number place to live and to have fun. Family time and and quality fun time with friends. There is so much to do you will need time to enjoy everything

I believe this is an annual event. It is held on the grounds of the elementary school which REALLY…read morecauses parking headaches ~ for neighbors and attendees alike. That was my only complaint. This is a cute, little old fashion carnival that uses corn as an excuse to have a good time. There are rides for all ages but 36 inches tall appears to be the starting point for riders. There is a food section, an area for musical entertainment, a craft section, and I understand they also have fireworks, we did not stay that late. Alcoholic beverages were available, but ID was required to obtain the wristband that was required to purchase alcohol AND they were not allowed in the main carnival area. The fire department brought out the heavy equipment and the SWAT team looked very intimidating. Oh, don't mess with the K-9 squad either. This is not a 6 Flags type place, Lines were extremely short, sometimes nonexistent and the ride operators were very gentle with the little ones, even willing to stop the ride if tears started to flow. We lucked out in that it was not 95 degrees with high humidity. A nice event to take the grandkids and do a little people watching.